andsoapsandhomeschoolsandpaintsand…

Category: projects

I give up. Time just speeds by. I feel like I’m busy. In fact, I am busy. But when I look at the calendar it’s obvious that I have been sitting on my thumbs for about two years. Wasn’t I just in Paris?

We’re on a rowing break which is kind of awesome. Andy is doing some kind of strength/conditioning camp thing two days a week. Compared to three hours a day six days a week, that’s a cake walk. He continues to search for a summer job – so many places only hire people 18 and older. In the meantime, he’s been picking up odd jobs when he can.

With the rowing break, I thought things would slow down a bit. When it was still relatively cool, I started painting the shutters on the house. I WILL finish them tomorrow. I don’t mind climbing the mountainous ladder – I just mind the news people tell me it’s going to feel like 105 when I’m up there. Who does that help? No one.

Before I could finish the shutters, we ran into lots of rowing. Then . . . who knew? We became party people. Graduations, birthdays, it’s Saturday – all kinds of parties. Up front, it’s kind of fun to finally be in the “cool” group. Only took me 52 years and what’s cool has changed quite a bit over the years. Anyway – we’ve been eating and drinking our way through Orlando and we’re going to continue for the next week or two.

I’m mostly excited that Danny will be coming home on Thursday. He’s only been to this house once before. Weird, huh? I got to see him back in December but Mike and the brothers have not seen him for over a year. I’m so, so, so, thrilled to have all six of us together. We’re all pretty excited. Since he’s missed the past two Thanksgivings with us, we’re hosting a Thanksgiving-in-July cookout. My sister is even coming with 2/3 of her kids! (If you have food ideas, please share in the comments!!!) I think we’ll have between 25-35 people. If I haven’t officially invited you and you’re in Orlando – you’re invited July 15 around 4:30.

In other news, I’ve started a new side business – Overalls Overhauls. I have spent so much time over the past (yikes!) 25 or so years redoing furniture, and I LOVE doing it, that I thought I might as well start selling the stuff instead of cramming my own house full of “just one more adorable” whatever. To my Facebook friends, I apologize. So much of this is a GIANT learning curve for me. I’m getting it now and soon I should have my personal and my business pages working independently. If you’re on Instagram, I will apologize in advance – that’s next week’s project.

I give up. I no longer have an attention span. Or a memory. Or a focus. I get things done but my younger self would be appalled at the way I flit from unfinished thing to unfinished thing. The chaos is disturbing. For now, I try to have something I’m working on in every room of the house. That way when I walk into any room and immediately forget why I’m standing there, I see the unfinished project, abandon whatever I had been doing previously and start on that. It’s not pretty but I’m tired of fighting it. Things still get done – no one needs to watch the process.

We’re having Thanksgiving dinner here. I think it will be 26-28 people. I’m kind of excited because we sort of have room for them this year. Last year a bunch of people were only able to get seconds by crawling under their table to escape. This year, I’ve planned emergency food exits for everyone.

I’ve been on a quest for a table for the screened in porch. Our old IKEA table (which served us amazingly well for nearly 12 years) could not withstand a Florida summer’s humidity and I’m pretty sure it’s harboring some kind of mutant mold. Really. After the last rain storm, there was something orange growing where the laminate top had peeled off. Two weeks ago, I stopped by my favorite thrift store – which hasn’t been kind to me lately – and low and behold – an awesome table for $18.18. It’s times like this that I miss the suburban. I could fit anything into that car. Mike came with the truck and picked it up for me.

The timing is perfect. We now have two very long tables for Thanksgiving and one six foot table. It won’t be pinterest perfect but we’ll all be able to sit together, shouting from end to end and hurling rolls back and forth. I think it will be fun. Like I do, I took an old, beat-up table and made it look older and more beat up. I kind of love it. It’ll be my desk after the holidays and my current desk will return to porch duty. Hopefully, the garbage men will take away the moldy IKEA table.

While waiting for various layers of paint to dry on the table, I ventured into the Harry Potter closet under the stairs in search of my few Thanksgiving decorations. I had written the first chapter of Harry Potter on the little doors inside the closet when we first moved in but I’ve never been happy with them. So I started another project. Bonus? I could see the television from there so I binge-watched The Crown on Netflix while I worked on it. I think it’s fun now. And, I thought The Crown was really well-done – great casting.

In final preparation for Thanksgiving, Mike made some new benches to go with the “old” new porch table but which will also be perfect for the dinner. Mike built, I painted. I think we can squeeze four small-ish people onto each one. Add the other benches we have and that’s 12-16 people. I think we have enough random chairs to fill in the rest. If not, I have lots of floor cushions.

I’m struggling to keep my focus on this post … so much to write about and so much doesn’t fit in this heading. Thanksgiving. Focus. I’m kind of excited – we’re doing Charlie Brown themed appetizers (in a grown up way) this year. Still have to figure out how to decorate that table but it should be fun. I think I might just find a yellow sheet and paint a black chevron on it and call it a tablecloth.

Dinner is pretty standard Thanksgiving fare. I’d be happy with stuffing and gravy. I’m pretty excited about the lasagna our old neighbors are bringing – Norman makes the best lasagna ever. And, we’ll be having a mini-birthday party. Norman’s mom, Miss Mary, will be celebrating her 88th birthday with us. Isn’t that awesome? If you have any ideas on a good 88th birthday gift, let me know.

Well not really my summer vacation (for that I went to the beach) but, I did get some really nice down time from rowing and all the rest of things. As I ease back into our school/life routine, though, I want to take a minute to share some of my bad pictures – I try but photography escapes me – of things I’ve been working on. No reason except I do like being able to come back to the blog just to check I’ve made progress every couple of years or so.

I. Kitchen Table When we moved in, I put our awesome garbage pick-Ethan Allen table in this space. It was a great table but it was simply TOO BIG. I found this table a couple of weeks ago at a thrift store. Perfect size. I painted it and distressed it because who are we kidding? Between me, Mike and the boys – any table we own is going to be distressed. I just decided to end the suspense and do it first off. (Can you see Dolores-the-Cow waving at you?)

II. Bread Box

When I first started blogging (10 years ago!!!!!) I found a bread box. It delighted me then. It delights me now. It’s a bread box. It needed an update after a decade of hard use. I like it. I was even inspired enough to go find a new sandwich bread recipe. If you’re into making bread, I highly recommend it. I had the best grilled cheese sandwich ever this afternoon . . . from the bread in my bread box. Guess how big it is? (Sorry, I’m going to breathe into my paper bag for a bit before I write anymore.)

III. Suitcases

When Mike and I were young and beautiful and living in an awesome historic cottage when Danny was born (remember those times? – “It’s so cute, we don’t need closets or central a/c, look at the molding!) we lived next to an old, old man who was funny and facing leaving his house to move to an assisted living facility. He was going to toss some old suitcases and I asked if I could take them. He thought I was a loon. These suitcases have served as storage/night stands/coffee tables and one was even a depository (would that be the antonym for suppository?) for cards at Danny’s wedding. But, they were old and sad when I brought them into this house. I painted them, added new linings and even practiced transferring (imperfectly) prints to surfaces. They look just at home in the entrance way. All I need now is an umbrella stand and a coat rack (you know, the essentials for FL living).

IV. Living Room/Office –

This house has a “formal” living room space. We don’t really need that. What we need is a place for me to make my messes and not have to spend an hour every night putting everything away. So we’ve decided to make the formal living room my work space. Andy can use the little office in the back for school. I moved the awesome Ethan Allen/garbage table into the living room. I can write, sew, paint, knit, whatever in here. If we’re expecting a crowd, it’s easy enough to clean up and have a decent sized dining room. It’s a work in progress but, I’m so happy, I have craved this kind of freedom/space for years and years.

The chair? Awesome thrift store find! The fabric is so perfect. (In fact, my mom is working on a water color based on the chair – JUST FOR ME!) The table – big and perfect for all my mess. The reddish cabinet – I’m still working on that but it’s going to be my sewing station. Now I just need to find me a dressmakers dummy.

V. FAMILY WALL –

I’ve been collecting frames from thrift stores for months – I try to get them at $.99 (preferably in the 1/2 off color of the week) and I sand them down and spray paint them black. Amazing how a single color can unify a bunch of unrelated frames – at least well enough not to make my eye twitch. I have a ton of pictures that are perfect for the weird wall in our family room. I got started this weekend. Now I just need more frames.

You can kind of see where I did new pillows for the couch but they look awful because, gasp, Mike, Tim and Andy were actually using them! I’ll get a picture another day. They’re kind of fun – houndstooth, an old wool sweater, a great turquoise shower curtain and some remnants from Hobby Lobby. And a bit of burlap and ribbons.

Okay, not terribly exciting but I hope parts were interesting. So far, I’m on schedule for September. I think.

Home from the beach. Andy is driving himself to practice. We’ll homeschool next year but it’s mostly online and college classes. I’m out of a job. Twenty four years and poof. Not even a gold watch. For me, doing something physical helps me sort out all the loud, unrelated noises in my head. So I started a couple of projects. (You didn’t seriously think I was going to say I began training for a 5K, did you?)

Feeling overwhelmed? Tackle painting the entryway with the 17 1/2′ ceiling. What could go wrong? I finished tonight with Mike and Andy’s help. (And, help from Lynda and Alan’s ginormous extension ladder.) Mostly, I used a very long telescoping pole and a normal sized ladder. Tonight was the way-up windows and around the ceiling. Andy and Mike served as crash pads. (Wish I had worn my good overalls. 8) )

Andy took the picture while he was flopped on the
floor underneath me. I think I went up and down that ladder about 15 times tonight. Mike kept trying to put it at a steeper angle to see if I would notice. I noticed. Someone may have to carry me downstairs tomorrow morning. I also painted the inside of the front door, the upstairs hallway and the banister. I’m very happy with the results – much brighter and happier feeling.

But, an entry only takes so long. So I ordered this kit and tested it in the powder room. (If you’re interested, check their website and also check Amazon. I happened on an Amazon sale and got the kit for about $20 less.) Kind of cool.

It’s a multi-step process – a couple of hours here wait many hours and start the next part. My mom came over on Sunday to help me with the artistic aspect. I’m happy with my first attempt but, there is room for improvement. I’ve started on the boys’ bathroom counter with a different technique. If I get it right, I’ll post step by step pictures. I hope I can figure it out because I’d love to do this in the kitchen . Eventually Mike will make concrete counters for the kitchen but until then, I’d love to get rid of the faux wood laminate.

And, as I do these projects I am working on what my next step as a semi-retired full-time mom will be. Hopefully, by the time I work through the kitchen counters my brain will be less cluttered and the path forward will be a little clearer. If not, there are more projects here. Or . . . the bus stop is right across the street. I can start collecting neighbor kids to keep me happy. Or not. Anyway, I’m working on it.

Okay, my interests have always ranged far and wide and make no particular sense when you put them all together. However, my complete and total inability to focus on one thing lately is starting to scare me. Usually, I start out scattered and then find my groove and get things done. These days? No groove, nothing getting done. Lots of things getting started . . . my house looks like a war zone.

Ian abandoned us on Wednesday. He’s in Tallahassee living with Dan now. Like he’s a grown up or something. For some reason, Ian’s leaving is hitting me much harder than Dan leaving. (I love you, Dan!) And then, there’s Dan. He’s going to finish college, get married and start a life with the-girl-that-is-a-friend. I love the-girl-that-is-a-friend, aka Christi, but still . . . Last week was pretty much of a wash. I wandered and thought deep thoughts and accomplished nothing.

Andy’s books for next year are arriving haphazardly. I have no real plan yet. Nice, huh? I have been harping at him that ninth grade counts and I have not a single plan in place. I have an ebook I’m supposed to be writing. I’ve already lost money on that score – I am on my third version. This one, at least feels right. I don’t know why I stress so much about it – my name is not going on it, but I hate the thought of delivering something crappy. Live and learn. I think I need to find out how one goes about publishing their own ebooks. I surely couldn’t make less.

Over the weekend, the-girl-that-is-a-friend/Christi invited me and Bing to go along with her and her mom wedding dress shopping. Can you say girl-fix????? I remember my own wedding dress shopping. I have linebacker shoulders and had to try on plus-size dresses with tons of clips and stuff. Christi? Perfect size four. I have never, ever seen a person try on clothing that fit every damn time! Each dress she tried on looked better than the first – no alternations needed. It was so fun. Like shopping with a super model. Still, we knew she’d found THE dress when she came bouncing out in yet another perfectly fitting gown. She actually glowed. I suggested to her mom that we get Christi to try on our dresses – that way we’ll look awesome too! (work with me)

During the times Christi was changing we helped the group sitting with us choose mother-of-the-bride and mother-of-the-groom dresses. What a fun family. The moms were a riot! I felt much better listening to them – both lovely – complain about sagging bits and disappearing parts. We’re all in this together, right? In the end they both picked dresses that suited them exactly. It was an excellent way to spend a Saturday morning.

To celebrate, we went out for MONSTER burgers, fries and the most amazing milkshakes. My mom and I both feel so lucky/happy/blessed to be included in the planning stages. I think Christi’s mom, my mom and I are still stunned that we are actually planning a wedding. Especially Christi’s mom. It’s crazy. Don’t worry, I will be sharing more as things develop. If anyone has wedding tips, please share – big, small, weird, it’s all good.

I am so excited for this week – no rowing, no major commitments. I WILL finish this book. I WILL finish painting (btw – I need new wall quotes if you have anything) and I WILL accept the fact that my kids are all leaving me – except Andy. I’m keeping Andy forever. I don’t know how to work anything in our house without at least one kid here. (Don’t tell Andy though, it’s a surprise.)

Ian is home safe and sound. He had an amazing trip to NY and CT. Based on my nightmares last night, I’m happy to have him home without a giant, ugly tattoo on his neck. I cannot wait until he puts his pictures onto his computer. Everyone . . . “Yay, Ian.” His initial comments included being happy to have visited a truly big city before heading to Europe. He was able to test his backpack for carry-on eligibility and ease of use – he gave it an A+. He used the subway system and feels better about facing the Metro in Paris. (He’s SOOOOO going to thank me for Latin when he gets home.)

Talked to Dan and my mom (aka Bing) tonight. Their birthdays are a day apart. Dan turns 21 on 9/4 and Bing turns something bigger than 21 on 9/5. To celebrate, they will be skydiving together. GAH. There’s a good chance that Andy’s godfather, Gregg (who turns 50 in the same week), will be joining them. Yep. Three people I love dearly, hurling themselves out of an airplane. I think I will stay home and make martinis for everyone who comes home alive. We’ll probably do a cookout after the event with birthday cake(s) and all of that. I figure we have a couple of themes to work with – death, airplanes, parachutes . . . I could go on. If anyone has a good idea for a cake or food or anything, please let me know. I think I’ll make wee parachutes for everyone to have in their drinks. For the kids in the crowd, I’ll attach the parachutes to little plastic army men rather than trying to stuff them into soda cans or water bottles. Heck, if everyone survives, I may let the younger folk up on the roof to launch their parachute people. If the party goes late enough, I’ll toss in glow sticks.

In other exciting news, I’ve been spending a little bit of time each night working on my t-shirt yarn rug. I had made a lot of progress, but the stoopid thing would not lay flat and I spent a week or so dismembering it. I’m back at it and nearly at the end of what I had originally finished. This rug might be done when I turn 70-80-ish. Still, I like the sewing – it’s relaxing and allows me to watch shows like House of Cards and Downton Abbey and, even, Grimm. Fun stuff.

Tomorrow is lining up to be an exciting day (technically, I guess it’s today not tomorrow). Here’s our garage door chalk board – I cannot believe how handy this canvas has become.

Where have I been? I dunno … we’ve been busy and not that interesting. I hate this feeling of being stuck between sections of my life. It can’t last. Right???? If it does last, lock your doors – it’s only a matter of time until I get to your house to repaint EVERYTHING. In the meantime, we’ve (read, mostly Mike) gotten a lot done. Here is Mike tonight, sanding and finishing up the new sliding doors. I cannot believe how much nicer these look. I knew the old ones were ugly, but I had no real idea how ugly until we put these in.

In other project news, Mike and Andy installed a new front door last weekend. I painted it. Once everything is back in place and the molding is up it’s going to look really nice. It lets in so much more light that the old, leaky door. Our artist friend who collects metal to sell to pay for his art fair entries was more than happy to come collect the old steel door. YAY!

And, because Mike prefers to have a project, behold the new driveway extension. We got a mold at Lowe’s and you mix the concrete, put it in the mold and plop it onto your leveled ground. Then you fill it in with sand and little rocks. I’m so pleased with it. Before, this was often a pit of mud and tire tracks. Mike extended it to the back yard

. We’re so fancy now.

Finally, here is a little dorm fridge that Tim picked up on his last visit to see Dan in Tallahassee. He got it for his friend, Chris, who had a birthday coming up and is way into fish – fancy fish. Chris’ mom was tired of fish stuff in her fridge. Now he has one for his room. I was lacking a project, so I helped personalize the fridge. I love paint!

I keep disappearing . . . sorry. I’m just wishy-washy and boring lately. I’m pretty much out of things to paint or fix in the house. It’s been a long time since my kids were cute. Where to go from here???? I just don’t know. I plan to keep homeschooling Andy, but that will become a lighter and lighter task. I am at a loss about what to do with myself. Last week was all about Andy getting invited to row with the high school team affiliated with the camp he attended the two weeks previous. From 6:30 AM to 8:30 AM. Yes, you read that correctly. The coach really, really liked Andy and vice versa. Andy got to row with some “real” rowers (you know high school boys who actually shave and drive and stuff) and he LOVED it. Me???? Gah. I’m glad Andy has found something he loves, but why can’t they row in the evening when I’m awake? Andy’s got a week off and he starts another rowing camp with a club close to home. I hope he likes it as much as he did the first camp. Of course, it’s going to get tricky – the new camp and football practice start in the same week. Send food. Mike is all amped up for football season. He’s already been to a few coach meetings. (And men make fun of women’s book clubs???) Andy will have a month of rowing in the am and football in the pm. Not sure how this happened, but he seems happy enough. (In the meantime, people wonder why I want to paint things pink and add sparkles?????) Upside to having all men in the house? Mike and Tim installed a new sliding door today. I’ve been waiting nearly 15 years for this door. I don’t care if they ever finish the molding or anything. It’s so clean and shiny and pretty. No more scrubbing the old door with no results. It’s so exciting.

Here are some pictures of another little project. I made a tray thingie for our coffee table by framing a game board and adding some handles to the frame. Inspired, I picked up a few more frames at Goodwill, painted them black and put in some additional game boards. I also added handles to those frames. Our living room walls have been bare for a year. These add some much needed color AND they’re functional. For now, they make me smile.

We have been looking for a new front door and a new sliding glass door pretty much since we bought this house, errr . . . 15 years ago. Funny how the kids always needed shoes and food and school stuff. Well, we’ve reached the point where the front door is leaking and the sliding glass doors open but sound like you are killing a small pet while doing so. I guess we got the best of the 1983 models, huh? Several months ago, Mike and I went door shopping. We actually found what we needed and liked. We talked to the young, young salesman and had him come up with an estimate for having the doors delivered and installed. Ummm . . . no. for each door, the first fee was $150 permit to our city. For a new door???? Are you kidding me. There were tons of other fees and charges. Ultimately, installing the door costs more than the door. The salesman, oh so young, pointed us to several great you-tube videos that show you exactly HOW to install a door. We decided to go with you-tube. In the intervening months, the boys needed shoes, minor surgery, deodorant and all that kind of stuff so we put the doors off and stuck with our routine of stuffing towels under the front door in case of heavy rain. Mike became a devotee of you-tube door installation videos. The other day, he found a nice set of sliding glass doors – they at least look like they’re from the last century. He’s been on a mission for a front door.He came home frustrated the other night because the guy at the

store told him that all of their doors were “out-swing” doors. Mike said he thought about it and decided the guy was a numbskull. No one’s front door swings out. What would you do with screen doors? What would police on tv do to get into houses? We laughed and laughed. He’s been to several stores since.If you live below an imaginary line drawn at about Gainesville (Univ. of Fl) you are now subject to a new building code. All entry doors must be out-swing. I’m not kidding! I keep thinking of Halloween and knocking adorable pre-schoolers flat on their butts as I open the door to give them stuff they probably should not be eating anyway. Mike asked why the new code. The guy he was talking to said “Home invasions and possible hurricane issues.” Mike suggested, and rightly so, that our house would be flattened if it came down to winds knocking out our front door – even our current crappy front door. The guy just shrugged. The codes are not law, but if you’re paying someone to install doors or windows in Central Florida or below, beware. I am the person who, if she does not follow the rules, gets caught. I am so careful about “the rules.”

Shrugging guy was kind of helpful though. He said his store was still selling the in-swing doors until their stock was gone. He found a store that had three doors in stock that cost something less than our mortgage. Mike ran to the store and picked one up. I know. We are such rebels. I’m not a fan of authority. I’m not a fan of government in general. But, at what point do we say “NO!” I want to pick my own light bulbs, my own doors, my own toilet. I should be able to buy allergy medicine or spray paint without having to provide documentation and having a record stored somewhere. I haven’t done anything wrong and I should not have to prove that I haven’t – that seems backwards. Anyone reading here that lives in Winter Springs? Are you willing to pay our city $150 per door to replace your existing doors? That’s a criminal charge for a building permit when you’re not building anything! Yet, we’re criminal if we don’t pay. (And, I’m hoping if we don’t get caught because I am NOT willing to pay $300 to install $800 worth of doors. See, I’m a criminal?) While I definitely lean to the conservative side, I don’t think this is political – it’s insanity. Do you know what’s going on in your city? This has sure been an eye-opener for me. I kind of like the idea that for every new law passed, an old one should be eliminated. At the rate things seem to be going, we are all committing multiple misdemeanors and/or felonies every single day – doing nothing!

Half empty/half full? I’m struggling with that right now. Mostly I have to go with half full. There is nothing seriously wrong in our world and I need to find a way to appreciate that more. But, right now, I just want to have a big, old, temper tantrum. I want things to work and I want them to work when I want them. (Picture to the left is my Goodwill couch find)Sorry to be gone so long – we’ve had little to no internet for the past week or so. GAH!!!!! Once again, as happens about every two years, I despise ATT, yet I hate the thought of developing a hatred of a new company for internet as I’ve heard nothing good about the others either. Roland, my customer service person this evening, is my hero. He did in six minutes what three people could not do in over two hours this morning. I think the fact that I was nearly in tears helped. In the news, Dan has been home this week. He’s, as he says, half an engineer now. The jury is still out on what half he is. I love having him home, but I’m exhausted. Dan knows the best time to get me alone is late at night . . . but, as happy as I am to talk to him whenever he wants, I’m tired, tired, tired. The first night he was home we talked until four am. I am WAY too old for this – the sleep wrinkles from that night finally went away yesterday. Upside? Dan cooked shish kabobs for all of us and my brother and my parents tonight dinner was delicious and fun. I guess we’ll keep Dan.In other news, we had a solid week of rain last week. Most of my garden is once again flushed away – the tomatoes may live. Mike and I are making new plans for next year. If anyone knows about raised beds, please speak up. I’m sad about my cucumbers, peas, beans and ‘maybe’ eggplants. I have managed to get some slipcovers on my “new-to-us” couch. I was hoping for better results, but my stupid sewing machine was not cooperating. But, I didn’t kill it. I just put it out in the garage for a time-out. By the time I finished, I was ready to hurl the cheap stoopid thing through the wall. This is by far the biggest thing I’ve ever made. And, not only did I make it, I dyed the fabric. I learned zippers. I learned welting. I bought myself a pink tape measure for heavens sakes! And, still the sewing machine has tantrums.

I have pillows yet to make and unless someone is buying me lottery tickets in secret, the machine I have is what I have and I just have to suck it up. I think we both need a break from each other. I guess what makes me the most frustrated is that no one notices the slipcovers when they’re here! That’s good, I suppose, they fit right in, but sheesh, I’ve worked soooo hard and to have no one notice (lol, unless I point it out) is kind of disappointing. (I kind of feel this way about the floors too – all of that hard physical labor and unless I point out the ‘paper bag’ floors, no one notices . . . ) You can also see my “new” coffee table in this picture, no one has noticed that either.Poor me.I dunno, I guess with the boys being older … I’m feeling unappreciated and overworked. I do all my “little” projects, but the laundry is always done, the meals are ready, the lunches are made . . . It’s just depressing – I kind of thought as they got older, they would appreciate that this stuff does not simply just happen.It might also have to do with attending the funeral of the dad of one of our scout families (his son became an Eagle Scout at the same time as Danny) this past weekend and then a few days later seeing another scout mom pushing her new granddaughter down the street . . . it’s all making me feel old and, you know, old. Nice funeral, the dad who died, died doing what he loved, hiking in Colorado – if you have to go, you might was well be doing something you really enjoy. His wife and son are doing well. Grandkids? I guess we’ll have them, but it seems so sudden to have a friend that has one NOW!!!!! Ugh . . . I hate this feeling. I want to be useful and appreciated and all of that. But, what do I do now? I still have five years of school with Andy to go. But, that’s not wholly time consuming. Okay, I’m going to bed with my glass half-full. I’ll figure it out, I’ve always been able to do that.